Timberwolves' Zach LaVine bows out of slam-dunk contest

Champion of the past two NBA All-Star slam-dunk contests, Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine won't defend his title and try for a third next month in New Orleans.

Been there, done that.

"I feel like I have accomplished everything I could in the dunk contest," he said Thursday. "There's no reason to go back and outdo myself. I won't say I won't ever do it again, but I'm focused on this year.

"We're getting close to being able to make the playoffs. Getting rest and just focusing more on the games is the big thing."

He knows fans want to see another duel with Orlando's Aaron Gordon from last season's contest.

"They're a little mad, but fans are going to be with you or against you sometimes," LaVine said. "I'm all good with that. I think they'll still like me at the end of the day."

Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns on Wednesday was named to play again in the Rising Stars Challenge that features rookies and second-year players, but Towns did not make the Western Conference reserves announced Thursday evening for the All-Star Game itself.

"Maybe, but I got to get back on track shooting the ball," said LaVine, who was 10-for-30 from the field before Thursday's home game against Indiana. "That's the only thing I've been worrying about. I don't know if anybody has won both of them. That's a little bit less wear and tear on your legs."

All season, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau has preached about winning rather than putting on a "show."

"There are things that are good for the game, and he has done that and been recognized," Thibodeau said. "But I think he's a lot more than that…He's done a lot more than just being a dunker.

"That stuff is great if it fits in, but if it doesn't fit in, prioritizing our team and winning is the most important thing, and I think he'll do that."

Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, the NBA scoring leader, tops the list of seven All-Star Game reserves voted by coaches. Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, Memphis' Marc Gasol, Golden State's Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Utah's Gordon Hayward and L.A. Clipper DeAndre Jordan complete the West team.

• Now that LaVine won't compete in the slam-dunk contest, will forward Andrew Wiggins carry the flag for his team? "Uhhh, no," he said, smiling.

• Towns said he's undecided whether he'll defend his All-Star Skills Challenge won in Toronto last season. "I've got some time to decide, but not too much," he said.

• Thibodeau, Indiana coach Nate McMillan and their assistants wore bow ties Thursday to honor Michael H. Goldberg, longtime National Basketball Coaches Association executive director, who died last week. "We're going to give it a shot," said Thibodeau, who praised Goldberg's nearly 40 years of work. "We prefer lapel pins."

• A Dallas personnel scout has attended the past two Wolves games. The trading deadline is a month away.

• Former Wolves assistant coach Bill Bayno is now an assistant on McMillan's staff.